Changing agencies is not a good idea

IIPM Programme :- SUPERIOR COURSE CONTENTS

But have clients got their priorities right? Pressure, competition, cut throat rivals, breaking the clutter, media fragmentation, accountability and delivery apart, in the final analysis, is it really a good idea to change your existing agency? Brand-building does take truckloads of creative and emotional intelligence. And perhaps agency B may not really be able to deliver the same EQ to your brand as perhaps agency A did. “Yes! Changing agencies is not a good idea. After all, a constant agency adds continuity to the brand proposition,” says Chauhan of Rediffusion.

He could be right! You only go back to the 41-year-old Amul butter campaign, famous for puns on current events, to know that stable brand management is vital. Sylvester DaCunha of DaCunha Associates is the man responsible for the campaign’s vitality since the beginning. Even Fevicol (Fevicol Ka Jod) trails a similar path with its two decade old relationship with agency O&M. B. O. Mehta, President, Pidilite Industries told 4Ps B&M: “The brand has grown with Ogilvy, they know the DNA of the brand, which it would be difficult for any new ad-agency to take up.”

Or take Nike globally. Ever since ad man Dan Wieden coined the ‘Just Do It’ slogan 20 years ago, the brand has stayed with the same agency and prospered in the process.

But for that kind of an enduring relationship, passion and honesty are the two key ingredients. Agencies must treat the brand as their own babies and clients must give agencies the status of ‘partners’ not ‘vendors’. The only way out of this current client-agency quagmire is for agencies to move back up the value chain. Kamath of Star India concurs. “The real opportunity for the industry now is to go back upstream and become a consulting partner again.” Kamath has a valid reasoning.

The moving up the value chain has already started, with communication strategy outfits like ‘Naked Communications’ hitting the scene in the west. Described by the Washington Post as the ‘future of advertising’, Naked considers itself as the conductor of the brand communication opera, works corroboratively with existing agencies (creative, media, digital and BTL) and simply ‘partners’ the client. Naked understands the future as getting all folks to be responsible for the brand together. Basically, the world’s changed and marketers know it. It’s up to agencies now – they must wake up and smell the coffee! As a fitting sign off to this piece, we bring to you Jon Wilkins, the founder-partner of Naked Communications (see adjoining page), spelling out the future course of advertising in India and across the world, as he sees it!

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
Now IIPM's World-Class Education... for everybody!!
IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence
4Ps Power Brand Awards 2007
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!
IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...